


Meteor Effect

by JDominique37



Series: The Storm, the Stars, and the Skies (Kuroko no Basuke Stories) [6]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: F/M, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, POV Original Female Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-26
Updated: 2016-09-26
Packaged: 2018-09-30 14:59:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 12,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10165535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JDominique37/pseuds/JDominique37
Summary: You slammed into my world like a meteor, and in that moment, I had no idea what sort of effect you would have on me. Even now, the way you smile and the way you challenge me every day — it sets my heart racing with the need to be closer, closer, just closer to you.





	1. Prologue

When I opened my eyes, there was a ball flying toward me.

I ducked out of the way, my knees bending and my hands stretching out on either side to balance me, and the ball flew past.

“Oh, sorry! My bad.”

It was a boy’s voice. Young, breathing hard. I looked up to see the owner racing toward me, his eyes large and worry knit onto his brow. Taller and bigger than me, with bright red hair and eyes shining with energy.

The part that surprised me, though — not that out-of-control ball or the boy approaching me now — was that he spoke in Japanese.

“Sorry,” he said again. “Are you all right?”

I straightened myself and hummed a response, moving back away.

“Oi!” he shouted after me. “You’re Japanese, right? You can understand me, right?”

I wanted to pretend that I did not, in fact, understand him. That perhaps I’d been born and raised here, in America, and never learned the language of my birth. But that wasn’t the case. I understood him perfectly.

So I stood around and faced him, my skin prickling under his gaze. “Y-yes. I-I can understand you.”

His eyes lit up. “Awesome! I’ve only met a few other people who speak Japanese here.”

“I . . . am only here for the summer,” I explained. My fingers curled into my palm and I wished my brother was here, standing by my side, ready to comfort me.

But I was alone.

The boy cocked his head at me, curiosity in his gaze. I swallowed and said, “Your ball went over there.”

“O-oh, thanks — hey, wait!”

I winced, already having turned around and been making my escape.

“You don’t happen to play basketball, do you?”

My eyes widened at his question. Because it was a strange thing to ask.

He shuffled past me, retrieved his ball, and turned back to face me, hands fidgeting around the basketball. “It’s — it’s just that the friend that I usually play with isn’t here today,” he said. “And it’s more fun to play with someone else.”

I stared at him.

His face reddened. “I mean — if you don’t want to, that’s fine. Or if you don’t know how to play — I can teach you! Maybe.”

Maybe it was because my brother wasn’t there, or maybe it was because he seemed so earnest, but I found myself agreeing.

I didn’t know how to play basketball at all, then.


	2. Chapter 1

_And here we are, Seirin High, the one and only, the young blood. It’s a new day, Izanami-chan, so make it count. Give it everything you’ve got!_

My brother’s voice rings in my head as I walk up to the high school, a few other students around me, talking to themselves, or wrapped up in their phones. This time of year, the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, and the walk to Seirin is one of the most beautiful I’ve seen — he would appreciate it, my brother.

I take in a deep breath. I grip the straps of my school bag and urge my legs to move forward at a quicker pace. I would like to be early.

Classes begin today, and nerves trace themselves through my body. My arms and legs feel tight, too tense to move, but somehow I still make my way through the school gates and into the building. The bustle of the students is louder now, everyone eager to begin the year, the early morning not a deterrent for most.

After I switch out my shoes for my _uwabaki_ , I head to my classroom, my head spinning with the multitudes of people around me and all the noises. It still hasn’t quite hit me that high school has really started.

I climb up the stairs, pushing through the crowd, and just when I reach the even level, there’s a crash nearby and several students careen into me, gasping and shouting out their irritation. I feel myself slipping backwards and I let out a small noise of surprise — and maybe a cry for help.

 A firm hand grips my upper arm. “Oi, watch out there.”

The owner of the strong grip has a deep voice. For a moment, I think he is talking to me. But then I realize he’s directing his attention to the people who’d rammed into me, pushing me backwards (and almost down the stairs and to certain death and humiliation).

The students murmur apologies and move away, each going to their own business. I twist my head around to face the one who’d helped me and am met with intense red eyes, dark red hair falling over his forehead.

My breath catches.

“You okay?” he asks, his voice rough. He lets go of my arm, like it was no big deal.

My mouth feels dry, my body too small next to his.

His brow wrinkles. “Are you okay?” he repeats.

“I — I’m fine!” I blurt out. Then I turn, and race away from him.

 _Not the best way you could’ve handle that, sis,_ my brother’s voice echoes in my head.

I know, I know.

But how was I supposed to react after learning that Kagami Taiga is going to the same exact high school that I am?

* * *

It was short. We met one summer in America when I was nine and visiting family. It was only the second time I’d gone to America. And whereas the previous year, my brother Densuke had gone with me, that time, he chose to stay behind in Japan in order to focus on his studies. My child self felt betrayed — and scared, at the thought of going to America alone.

Our parents thought it was good experience. To visit a different country every summer, to see our family there, to perfect our English and learn more about the other culture. I suppose they were right, but I still hated leaving the comfort of Japan for the foreignness of America.

I don’t remember the exact circumstances, but I was out one day alone. Usually, my relatives — my aunt and uncle — would accompany me when I wanted to go places, or I would go with them when they had places they needed to go. But for some reason, at that time, I was alone.

That was when the ball flew out at me, and he approached me. He asked me to play basketball with him. I thought he was insane. But I accepted anyway.

I knew nothing about basketball, then. He taught me the basics of the sport, and he wasn’t a bad teacher at all. I must’ve been awful at that time, but I don’t think he cared. He was just happy to be playing, happy to have the ball between his fingers, happy to have someone to share it with.

I envied him. His carefree attitude. His wild emotions bursting out with every easy shot he made.

We didn’t play together that long Not long enough for me to get any better at basketball or for him to have a worthy opponent. I remember apologizing for my lack of skills, but he just laughed it off. He gave me his name — _Kagami Taiga —_ and thanked me for playing with him. When I left, I thought — and maybe even hoped — to see him again. To learn more about the sport he so dearly loved.

But I never did.

I’d forgotten about him recently.

But now . . .

 _Don’t be so pessimistic, sis,_ Densuke’s voice rings in my head. _You should be happy! You should go talk to him! Play some basketball with him._

As if I could do that.

I swallow, and push myself up from the wall I’d collapsed against after running from Kagami. Most of the hall is already empty and if I don’t hurry, I’ll be late for class.

I pray that he’s not in the same class as I am.

When I enter the room, though, I breath out a sigh of relief because I don’t see any red head among my fellow students.

I find a chair and slide down into it, my breathing calming down. But even so, my thoughts are wild and uncooperative.

I say it is relief, to not have him here in the same class as me, but perhaps it is actually disappointment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Uwabaki" are their indoor shoes.   
> Fun Fact: Kagami is 191cm or 6'3" and our protagonist, Izanami, is 155cm or 5'1". So basically she's getting dwarfed here.   
> Thanks for reading!  
> ~ J. Dominique


	3. Chapter 2

In the end, I turn into a stalker.

I quickly figure out which class Kagami is in — he’s not a hard person to find. With his bright red head and his rambunctious way of speaking, he stands out easily. His classroom is right across from mine, and often I’ll try and peak in when passing.

Most of the time, he’ll be sleeping, sometimes talking to what appears to be air.

During lunchtime, he often goes to the cafeteria to buy an insane amount of food, even though he always brings a bento with him (which he finishes in record time). Later, after classes, and during cleaning, he’ll always speed through it as fast as he can so he can race to basketball practice. Sometimes, he’ll get caught skimping on his duties, and someone has to chase after him, and ask him to do a proper job.

Of course, I’m not surprised he still plays basketball. In fact, if he didn’t, I think my whole image of him would’ve been shattered. When I first met him, he seemed so full of life and so full of love for basketball and for playing it and sharing it with anyone he could.

If anything, I wish he could play for eternity.

And yet, I’ve never gone to see him play since I’ve been here. The gym has just been a few steps away, but I’ve never gotten the courage to visit their practices. I hear them in there, shouting and running about, shoes squeaking, balls dropping across the floor. The sound is enticing to me and sometimes I near the gym without realizing it — before I come to my senses and turn away.

For one, Seirin doesn’t have a girls’ team, so even playing basketball with him would be impossible. But, maybe — if I were to —

I clam the idea down, and keep walking. I walk past the gym. I walk past his classroom. And when I see him in the hallways, laughing loudly with a teammate, I’ll walk past him without saying a word.

* * *

Two months has passed since I first entered Seirin and it’s come to my attention that I have a problem. One that I can’t really fix by myself.

I have a terrible case of _crushing_ and every day it’s getting worse. My brother used to say that people who hold back their feelings are no good and that they should always say what they feel. I thought his words flighty, but maybe I understand it a bit now. Maybe that’s the way Kagami thinks.

If I can’t fix this problem myself, perhaps I need to go to its source . . .

After months of being a pseudo-stalker, I’ve decided it’s finally time to make my presence known. Or something like that.

So, after basketball practice ends one day, I wait outside, near the shadows. I’m hoping Kagami will come out alone — except he doesn’t.

It’s after a while, when I hear the basketball resound inside the gym that I realize he stayed late to practice more.

Well, I suppose that worked out well.

I straighten, gripping the straps of my bag, and prepare myself for — for something big, undoubtedly.

The door of the gym is cracked open and when I push it, it swings wide with a jarring noise that makes me cringe.

“Oh,” a voice says. “Kagami-kun, someone’s here.”

 I start. There was someone here besides Kagami?

It’s the boy who’s in his class, the one who always evades the eye. I should’ve known . . .

His eyes peer at me, a question on his face. Kagami turns from where he’d been dribbling and looks me up and down. His face is blank without recognition.

“What are you doing here?” he asks bluntly.

“Kagami-kun,” the other boy, Kuroko, reprimands.

“Sorry,” Kagami says. “I mean . . . do you need something?”

I feel frozen in place, my tongue heavy in my mouth.

Kuroko tilts his head, then says, “Is there something you want to say to Kagami-kun?”

I must’ve been staring at Kagami. I swallow. “U-uh, yes. I mean —”

Kagami looks at Kuroko like he’s crazy, but Kuroko just nods, a quick tip of the head, and then he moves past me, saying, “Kagami-kun, I’ll be leaving then. See you tomorrow.”

“W-wait, Kuroko, hang on! You —”

But Kuroko’s already gone.

And it suddenly falls on me that I’m alone with Kagami Taiga.

He runs a hand through his hair, spiking it up. Then he turns to me and I feel all my muscles seizing up. “Well?” he says gruffly. “What’d you want to say to me?”

Even when he’s being impolite, there’s a certain charm to him. Perhaps it’s strange of me to think that. To think that his wild and bright hair is attractive, that his eyes which can burn holes into you are exciting. His height and build all tower over me, a girl who’s already smaller than the average. He could probably easily crush me if he wanted to.

But I’ve seen his kindness, the way it flashes so brightly, and seems to consume him — and you — in that moment.

He squints at me now, like he’s trying to decipher why I’m here. “Hey, aren’t you that girl from before?” he says.

My heart leaps for a moment. Does he remember —?

“The one they almost pushed down the stairs.”

And just as quickly, my hope plummets. I suppose it’s too much to expect him to remember me after so long. I’m hardly anything spectacular, but he, on the other hand . . .

“Are you going to say anything at all?”

He’s starting to get irritated.

I swallow. Clear my throat. “My — my name is Hashimoto Izanami.” The words barely squeak out of my mouth.

“Oh. Okay. Nice to meet you, then. I’m Kagami Taiga.”

Like I didn’t already know that.

“I — I wanted to —” My cheeks are reddening as I speak and I realize I really had no idea what I was going to do once I reached this point. Confess to him? Tell him we once met as kids?

But he speaks before I can finish. “Hey, you wanna play basketball with me? If you don’t know how, I can teach you.”

It is just like last time. And he has no idea.

(Briefly, I wonder if he frequently offers to teach girls basketball, but then I dismiss the idea.)

“S-sure,” I say. “And I — I already know how.”

A grin splits his face. “Great! Since Kuroko left me, I have no one to practice with. Not that he’s that great to practice with anyway . . .”

I set my bag down by the wall and roll up the sleeves of my uniform. Kagami is already dribbling the ball again, that wide smile still on his face.

“I’ll go on offense first,” he says. “And you’ll be on defense. Is that okay?”

I nod, and make my way toward the hoop before leaning into a defensive position.

“All right, here I come!”

I set my eyes on him, ready for his move — but he’s fast, faster than I anticipated. In one short moment, he’s moved past me and dunked into the hoop behind me, leaving me stunned.

“Are you sure you know how to play?” His words are teasing.

I breathe in and take the ball he offers me. It feels smooth and comfortable in my hands and I do a few experimental dribbles as he gets into position.

Unlike him, I don’t give a warning.

I dash forward, and when I pass him, I see his eyes widen. The basket is only yards away now. With this momentum, I can —

There’s a flash beside me and then he’s slamming the ball out of my hands. It ricochets through the court, but he doesn’t go chasing after it. Instead, he’s staring at me with a different light in his eyes.

“You’re fast,” he says.

“So are you,” I reply.

Even after that brief movement, I am breathing hard — but I don’t think it’s entirely from the sport.

He is quite near me, still staring at me, and I don’t think he realizes it. I step away and his eyes lose their focus a moment before snapping back to attention on me.

“I guess you are pretty good,” he says, grinning.

I almost smile back, his grin is so alluring. I say, “I’ve played since I was a kid.”

Since a certain someone introduced me to the sport and got me addicted with it, I want to add.

 “Really?” His voice is laced with excitement. “Then we should play some more!”

And so we do.

Eventually, having forgotten my original goal, I say, “I should be headed back now. T-thanks . . . for playing with me.”

“Oh, right.” He glances at the time. “I guess . . . it’s getting dark, isn’t it?”

Wait, dark?

I panic and peer out the gym doors to find that it has indeed gotten dark.

We’ve been playing for that long?

“Is something wrong?”

His voice shakes me out of my thoughts and I swallow, turning back to face him and steeling myself for what I’m about to do next.

“U-um, do you — do you think that maybe you could do me a favor?” My hands wring themselves together and I can already feel goosebumps forming on my skin from the darkness at my back.

He blinks. “Sure, what do you need?”

“C-could you maybe . . . walk me home?”

For a moment, silence.

Then, “Yeah, why not? Where do you live?”

I let out a breath. He accepted and didn’t question.

“Not too far,” I say. “I hope it won’t be out of the way for you.”

“I don’t mind,” he says. “It’s to keep you safe, yeah? Since it’s dark out.”

Well, that’s not entirely the reason, but . . .

I nod. “Mom doesn’t like me being out by myself after dark.”

He stretches his hands over his head. “Understandable. Hang on, just let me get my stuff, then we can get going.”

“T-thanks,” I say, relieved.

A few minutes later, by some chance and stroke of luck, Kagami Taiga is walking me home.

I probably walk closer to him than is necessary, but every small noise and movement makes me jump, and I like the feeling of having him right beside me. The distance between the streetlamps seems entirely too far, and each time we enter the small space of darkness between them, I clutch the folds of my clothes and tense up, afraid the dark will swallow me whole.

Finally, Kagami says, “You’re scared of the dark.”

It’s not a question.

“Is it that obvious?” My voice is quiet.

“If that’s why you really wanted me to walk you home, you could’ve just said,” he says.

“But . . . it’s kind of stupid, isn’t it?”

He shrugs. “It’s not like fear is something we can control.”

Somehow, the words calm me, and I feel my body relaxing slightly.

But then he continues. “I don’t think that means you should just give into them, though. There are some things you can overcome, after all.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well . . . you can’t live your whole life living in fear, you know? Sometimes, you have to face them head on.”

“And then what? Once you face them, they’re gone?”

He gives me a sideways look. “No, probably not. But maybe, once you’ve faced them, and looked them in the eye . . . after that, you’ll realize that you won’t always be so powerless in front of your fears.”

We walk a few steps in silence. “I never thought you thought about stuff like this,” I say finally.

“It’s not that hard,” he says, almost a bit defensively. “Everyone has fears, after all.”

“Some just a bit more than most,” I say, letting out a bitter laugh.

“What . . . do you mean?”

I stop and as he does, too, his arm brushes against mine.

“I’m just saying . . . some people live in their fears and can’t get out of them, no matter how hard they try.”

“I think you’re thinking about it the wrong way,” he says, frowning. “Being afraid of something and trying to overcome it isn’t something you have to do alone.”

My breath catches. Because, for a moment, it almost sounded like he —

“I’ll help you.” The tone of his voice is decisive, like he’d made up his mind a long time ago. “I’ll help you get over your fears.”

I don’t really know how to react to his words. Because he sounds so confident in them, like he didn’t just offer something like this to a girl he barely knows. He sounds like what he’s doing is an everyday occurrence. Overcoming fears. Maybe, to him, it is.

I smile. I say, “Thanks, Taiga.”

He starts at the sound of his name, but he doesn’t question it.

And I’m left wondering why I called him that.


	4. Chapter 3

A week passes in near silence. I hear nothing from Kagami — something I find myself once again in a state of relief/disappointment over. I almost think he’s forgotten about what he told me that one night when he approaches me, a grin in his face, and two small slips of paper in his hand.

“Izanami!” he says.

I start. He called me by my first name. I suppose it’s only fair, since I called him Taiga last time.

“What are those?” I ask, nodding to the papers.

“Tickets,” he says, and he hands me one.

I glance down and swallow. “To an amusement park?”

He nods. “You said you were afraid of a lot of things . . . so I thought maybe we could start here. There’s gotta be something —”

“Two,” I say.

“What?”

“There are two things here. That I’m afraid of.”

He waits for me to finish.

I gulp at his stare and say, “Crowds. For one. And then . . . heights.”

“Well, that’s perfect, isn’t it? I’m sure it will be really busy there! And then, of course, roller coasters!”

Just the thought of them makes me sick.

Kagami already looks pumped up, though. “The tickets are for Saturday,” he says. “Are you free then?”

I nod. I never have anything going on.

“Awesome. See you then.”

* * *

I fidget as I wait for Kagami to show up. The amusement park isn’t that far away, a short train ride. The day is already bright and people swarm around me at the station, each going their own different way.

Kagami appears a few seconds later, just as I’d been starting to worry. He waves at me and we board the train together. Most of the way is ridden in silence. But eventually, he tries to make small talk, and I appreciate it, but my own throat feels thick and useless.

Even though it’s still morning, the park is crowded when we reach the front gates. We hand in our tickets and join the streams of people all heading to their favorite attractions.

Already I can feel my skin warming as people press in at me from all sides. There’s shouting, laughter, kids crying, screams coming from the rides. The swirl of different faces, colors, and clothes blurs in my vision, and I feel sick.

“Hey.”

It’s Kagami’s voice.

“They’re just people. Just like you.”

I take in a deep breath. He’s right. It’s silly. There’s nothing to be scared of.

“Here.” His voice has suddenly gotten rougher, deeper, and he holds out his hand to me. I stare at it. “So we don’t lose each other,” he explains.

My arm feels stiff by my side but I eventually lift it and place my hand in his. He wraps his much-larger hand around mine and squeezes it gently, then pulls me through the ever-growing crowd.

For a while, we just walk around. I wonder if he’s trying to get me used to the crowds. Maybe it is working, because the longer we walk, the less I focus on the people around me . . . and more on his hand gripping my own.

That itself is quite distracting.


	5. Chapter 4

“Do you want to try a roller coaster?” he asks.

My mouth loses all its moisture. “S-sure.”

“All right.” He tugs my hand and me along with it, and I follow him as he makes it his goal to find the biggest, fastest, and scariest coaster there is.

“Here we go,” he says, grinning at me. Kagami Taiga is, in his own form, a torture device.

I shiver, but I don’t pull my hand free from his, because it is like there are currents of heat running from his body to mine — and I don’t want to end the contact between us.

 _A bit different from just holding your brother’s hand, huh?_ Densuke’s voice teases in my head.

“It’s going to be so much fun,” Kagami assures me, a glint of anticipation in his eyes. “And it’ll be over before you know it.”

“But . . . isn’t there that one point where you’re just going up . . . really slowly and all?”

He nods. “There is that, but that really gets you hyped up for the drop, you know? It’s worth it, too.”

I don’t think he’s making this any more appealing to me.

But at least he’s trying.

The least I can do is reciprocate.

I take in a deep breath and square my shoulders. Kagami notices my small actions, however worthless they may be in the long run, and his grin widens.

The line to the ride thins, step by step, until finally a man is ushering us toward a car. Kagami steers me toward the seats in the front despite my protests and because the car is only seats two across, he and I are the only ones in our row. My shoulders touch his.

I can feel my heartbeat accelerating. Our hands had gotten briefly separated when we chose our seats, but out of desperation (and, yes, fear), I reach out and snatch Kagami’s hand again. He glances at me, a bit of surprise on his face, but doesn’t object. Once again, he does that gentle little squeeze. My heart races even harder.

There is a countdown. Then, the coaster begins to move. At first, we are on even ground, then . . . up. Up, slowly, slowly — the ground is receding beneath me and for a few moments, I can see all the details of the dirt and the concrete, and then they are too far below for me to make out.

I clench my eyes closed, my heart leaping in my chest, the feeling of traveling up rising inside me. But then Kagami whispers, “Don’t. Don’t close your eyes. Enjoy it. Enjoy every second of it.”

I gasp, but I do as he says.

My eyes flick down for a moment and I nearly puke.

“Look up, not down,” he instructs me, and he squeezes my hand again. “Look at the clouds and the sky instead of the ground. Look at what you’re going to reach.”

My breath is coming rapidly but I turn my gaze upward. The sky . . . seems closer. Even though it’s not, really. Not by that much. I breathe out slowly, and I hear Kagami chuckle beside me. I turn my head to him, about to ask him what’s so funny —

And then we are tipping over the edge.

I can’t help it — I scream.

I must grip his hand so hard that he loses all circulation, but in response, he grips just as hard; the feeling is comforting somehow. That he’s holding onto me, too.

We’re dipping down . . . down . . . down. . . . No longer facing the sky, but ready to nosedive to certain death. This is it, the end, this is —

And down we go.

* * *

Kagami is laughing so hard. “Do you see your face, Izanami?” he says. He points at one of the picture screens.

I’m too busy trying to regain my dignity to bother looking at a picture of myself, seeing how terrible I looked, and losing all my progress again.

I try to scowl at Kagami, but my insides are still in too much turmoil.

“You okay?” he says, walking over to me, hands in pockets. “It was fun, though, wasn’t it?”

I can’t speak right now or risk losing my breakfast. However . . . while certain moments were definitely heart-stopping and gut-wrenching, Kagami was right.

It was worth it.

For that single rush of adrenaline, that one moment when it feels like you’re flying, and all you can see is the sky. Like you could reach up and touch the clouds, and maybe, if you wanted to, leap to the sun.

“C’mon,” he says, “we can’t stand here all day. Do you want some water?”

I nod, thinking that might calm my stomach, and he heads off to buy a bottle.

I sit down on a bench to wait for him, still dazed over the ride. It only takes him a few minutes to return, and as I watch him moving through the crowds, I realize that he’s taller than most everyone here. Even if we did lose each other, it wouldn’t take me long to find him because he’s so large — and because his red head sticks out like a beacon.

He plops down on the seat next to me and offers the water which I accept greedily. After a few sips, I say, “You know . . . if you really wanted to help me get over my fear of heights, you didn’t need to go through all the work of making me ride a roller coaster — I could’ve just gotten onto your shoulders.”

 He nearly chokes on his own water and his eyes widen as he turns to look at me. “W-what do you mean?”

“Well, I mean, you’re so tall, you know? I could’ve just ridden on your shoulders and I’m sure it would’ve done the job.”

“Oh.” He nods to himself, a quick sharp tilt of the head.

Then he stands up, faces forward, and walks a few steps away before bending down in front of me.

It’s my turn to stutter. “W-what are you doing?”

“Let’s try it,” he says. He taps his shoulders. “Get on.”

“Are you crazy? Do you know how many people —?”

“Is that another one of your fears?” he challenges. “Getting attention?”

Perhaps it is, actually. No, probably. But I don’t tell him that.

I crumple my now-empty water bottle, and toss it into the nearest trash can. “Fine.”

I stand up on the bench and situate myself as best I can onto his shoulders. It’s awkward, to say the least, and I’m just glad I didn’t wear a skirt today. He grips his hands around my legs and before I can tell him I’m ready, stands up in one smooth motion. I nearly cry out and fall back, but he keeps me in place.

Already, we are gaining stares, but he seems to deflect them with both defiance and confidence.

“Taiga,” I hiss.

“How’s this for a view, Izanami?” he replies cheerfully.

And then he starts to run. There is a break in the crowd and he makes his way through it, his legs pounding the ground in a steady, even manner. I shriek and struggle to find purchase. For a moment, my hands brush through his hair, but then I just lean forward, and try to balance myself.

It _is_ high up here. I was kidding when I said I could’ve faced my fear on his shoulders, but now that I’m here, I realize he really is tall — enough to make me dizzy, my head spinning, and my stomach (which had finally settled after the ride) start to churn again.

“Taiga, slow down!” I cry out.

In response, he only runs faster.

The people around us pass like a blur. I think some of them laugh and point — but not because they’re making fun of us. But because they think it’s funny. That two kids our age are playing around like this.

Finally, he begins to slow down, and my own heart begins to even out.

“You’re so reckless,” I tell him.

His head twists slightly toward me. He says, “Is that a bad thing?”

No. No, it’s not.

We are like opposites, me and him. I always hide behind someone, waiting for them to test out the waters first, tell me if it’s safe. But he races forward in front of everybody else, a grin on his face, challenging anyway who comes forth to meet him.

 He _lives_ his life and he loves every moment of it.

But what about me?

_You, Izanami, have forgotten. You’ve forgotten all about me._


	6. Chapter 5

“You’re taking me to the ocean?”

I blink in surprise as I see the distant waves lapping against the shore — the train whizzes by too fast for me to get more than a glimpse.

Kagami glances over at me in the seat next to me and says, “Yeah. You mentioned water, right?”

Well . . . yes. But my fear of water is nothing like my fear of the crowds or heights.

“And there are supposed to be some good waves today,” he says, pumping a fist in the air.

“You surf?”

He nods. “I learned in America.”

I smile to myself, wondering why I didn’t see it before. Surfing seems to fit him so well.

“So, what’s the story here?” he asks.

“What do you mean?”

“Well . . . why are you afraid of the water? It is just a natural-born fear . . . or is it because of something?”

I stiffen, my thoughts thrown into a jumble. “No . . . ,” I say slowly. “It’s not a natural-born fear. But it’s not because of something that happened to me either.”

His brow furrows, and he looks like he wants to question further, but he doesn’t press. Sometimes, he does have tact.

* * *

It was a long trip to the ocean and I’m surprised Kagami was willing to spend his time with me — just because of my irrational fears. But it seems like he’s here to enjoy himself, too, so maybe it’s not all wasted on me.

After leaving the train, Kagami leads me to his favorite beach that has some of the best waves (or so he says). The very idea of surfing sounds terrifying to me, but he’s determined to get me to try at least once.

“It’s hard,” he says, “but even if you wipe out, you kind of get a thrill out of it. Seeing that gigantic wave coming toward you — and then you’re paddling as hard as you can, and right when the moment’s right, you stand up — it’s great, you’ll love it.”

I’m convinced. He really doesn’t know how to sell these things to me. But at least his enthusiasm is contagious.

The beach isn’t very crowded. There are a few stands selling some snacks and drinks, and even renting out surfboards. Kagami had brought his one, though, and says I can use it. Looking at the huge thing, I wonder about that.

We find a few places to change into our swimsuits, and a few minutes later, I’m faced with another problem.

“What are you staring at?”

Kagami is ever oblivious.

I flush and turn my head away, my fingers picking at my own swimsuit. He doesn’t seem to notice my embarrassment, but just ushers me over to the water, his excitement mounting.

The waves are loud, crashing down, then receding slow before rushing in once again. Far away, I can see the surfing waves Kagami (and I) will be riding. They rise up, high, high, and drop down, so fast and quickly, that I think my own stomach joins them.

“T-Taiga,” I say, choking on the smell of the saltwater and my own fear.

He’s holding his surfboard with one arm, but with the other hand, he reaches out and grabs mine. “The water looks great today,” he says. “I can tell already. And look, the sun’s bright out. No clouds even.” He turns his gaze on me and I feel my knees weaken. “It’s a perfect day for surfing.”

Without knowing exactly what I’m agreeing to, I nod.

 _It_ will _be fun,_ Densuke says. _Who knows? Maybe you’ll even become a surfing pro._

I let out a small laugh and Kagami glances at me strangely. I shake my hand out of his and say, “All right. Let’s do this.”

* * *

The first step into the water feels good. Cool and like silk, running against my ankles, back and forth, and as I step deeper, it races to meet my skin. When I look down, I can see little schools of fish swimming around my feet, maneuvering around without a second thought. The sand feels gritty and soft at the same time and for a moment, I just let the water run over my feet, the sand covering my toes.

“You can’t just stand there all day,” Kagami says after a few minutes. “C’mon. The fun’s out there.”

He points out, and another colossal wave crashes down. It sends shivers down my back.

I nod once again, more to myself than him. And I follow him out deeper.

Soon, I can’t feel the ground beneath me anymore. But the water is clear and I can still see the bottom. And if I wanted to, I could easily swim back to the shore. It’s not that far. It’s not that far.

But the farther we go, the deeper we go . . . soon, the water is dark and my mind is blanking out. My arms feel heavy and tired, but not only from swimming.

I can feel the choppier waves jerking against me and it takes most of my willpower to stay in place, but that is not the problem. Inside, I’m screaming . . . I can picture it inside my head — almost as if I were there myself.

_It didn’t happen this way._

But what if it did?

_I was stupid. I wasn’t thinking._

A wave crashes into my mouth and I begin to choke. I hear Kagami shout my name, but his voice seems distant, far-off. In my mind’s eye, I can only see my brother, his forlorn and smiling face as he waved good-bye to me.

 _It’s college now,_ he said, laughing. _I can do whatever I want — it’ll be so fun._

But it didn’t happen the way he envisioned it.

He didn’t . . . he didn’t . . .

“Izanami!”

His arms collide around me and I gasp. The water rocks us back and forth, but he’s strong — strong enough to fight it.

Not like me. Not like me.

“Taiga,” I whisper, and I wonder if he can hear me over the roaring wind. “I thought maybe I could do this, but even with your help, I’m just weak.”

His eyes are wide, staring into mine. Then he says, “It doesn’t matter.”

“What?”

“C’mon, let’s get you back to shore.”

“But — surfing —”

“Forget it,” he says, and he almost looks angry. “That doesn’t matter.”

A few minutes later, I can feel the sand against my feet again, and I almost want to collapse from relief. Kagami had managed to retrieve his surfboard before it got washed away and holds it near him, staring at me shrewdly.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he says.

“Tell you what?” I slowly lean against the ground, my knees digging into the sand.

“That it was that bad.”

“It’s not —”

“I never would’ve made you go out there if I knew that you were that scared of it.”

My head snaps up, anger filling me. I stand up to face him, not that it makes much of a difference. “Don’t you understand?” I say. “I’m scared of all of these things! The degree of the fear doesn’t matter! It _shouldn’t_ matter! That’s why — that’s why I didn’t —”

Bitter, salty tears sting my eyes, and I almost wish I could be back in the ocean, where I could hide them with the water around me.

His face softens. “It wasn’t you, you said. So . . . who was it? What happened that made you so scared of the water?”

For a moment, I want to turn around, run away from him, and never answer his questions again. But he doesn’t deserve that. He’s done too much for me. I say, “My brother. Densuke. He was four years older than me. He went to college and we all had high expectations for him. But . . . a year after that, he crashed and burn. They found his body washed up against the shore.”

Kagami’s eyes are wide, but he says nothing.

“It’s only been a little more than a year since then. Sometimes it feels like a long time, sometimes like none at all. But Densuke — he wasn’t just my brother. He was — he was my guardian. He protected me from everything. When I would cry or have nightmares, he was always there to comfort me.

“I suppose that you could say that’s another one of my problems. I’ve never had to fight for anything by myself. I always had him by my side, and then when he — he died — it only got worse. Everything did.”

“Izanami —”

“Stop.” I hold up a hand. “Whatever you’re going to say, please don’t. Please . . . I’m sorry for ruining this for you. I know you wanted to surf. I won’t stop you. So . . . just go out and have fun. For both of us, anyway. I’m sorry, but I can’t do it, though. Not today.”

He nods, quick and sharp. “I understand.”

And then he’s racing back into the waves.

As I watch him, a dot on the horizon, a challenger against the elements, I wonder what is going through his mind.


	7. Chapter 6

The summer is drawing closer. With it, the basketball team’s summer tournament, Inter-High. Kagami has been busy lately, but he recently invited me to come visit practice.

“It’s not a very big team,” he tells me, having walked me from class to the gym.

“But you’re pretty good, yeah?”

“W-what? Mm, yeah, I guess you could say that.”

I smile, because even if he says it nonchalantly, there’s a tone of pride in his voice. He loves the team, even if he doesn’t want to admit it.

It’s only the second time I’ve been inside the gym, but unlike last time, it’s full, balls bouncing across the walls and shouts echoing through.

“Hey!” A girl a little older than me greets me, a clipboard in one hand, a whistle in the other. “You must be Hashimoto-san. Kagami told me he’d be bringing you.”

I cast a furtive glance toward Kagami, but he’s already moving toward the team and grabbing a ball.

“That’s me,” I say.

She grins and holds out a hand. “I’m Aida Riko. It’s nice to meet you.”

“You — you, too.”

“Kagami, who’s that?”

I turn around, wincing, to see a boy with a mouth that naturally curves up at the edges unabashedly pointing at me.

“Koganei, don’t be rude,” Aida scolds. “This is Kagami’s friend, Hashimoto Izanami.”

“H-hello,” I say weakly.

By then, most everyone has turned their attention to me.

“Hashimoto-san, hello,” says Kuroko, nodding at me. I barely hear him.

“Greetings!” another boy says, his gray eyes bright as he peers at me. Then he glances down at my legs. “Ah! _Hashimoto-san hashi—”_

“Izuki, shut up,” a boy with glasses says, lightly shoving the gray-eyed one. He glances at me and says, “This is Izuki. And I’m Hyuuga, the captain of the team. Over there, the rude one, is Koganei. And then we have . . .”

He rattles off a bunch of other names that I try to remember, but eventually I think he realizes my eyes have glazed over. “Anyway,” he says, coughing slightly, “I guess that doesn’t really matter. So you’ve come to watch practice? You’re Kagami’s friend?”

“I — I guess so.”

“I wouldn’t say she’s just a bystander,” Kagami says, coming up to Hyuuga, a grin on his face. “She plays a mean game, too.”

Aida looks surprised “You play basketball?”

I nod, not willing to share the real reason why I started.

“Well, I don’t know if you want to play with a bunch of boys,” she says, “but you’re more than welcome to practice with us.”

I’d much rather play basketball with them than awkwardly watch, all alone. I smile gratefully at her. “Thank you.”

A few minutes later, Aida’s split us into two teams. I’m on a team with Kagami and Kuroko.

Aida starts the tip-off and the game quickly starts. Kagami takes the ball immediately and before anyone can react, is almost already to the other side of the court. He dunks.

“Oi, Kagami!” Aida yells. “Don’t go hogging the ball. You have a team, remember?”

“Sorry,” he says. “I was just too fired up . . .”

A few seconds later, and Mitobe has the ball. He’s faced by Izuki, who manages to steal, and then passes to me. Surprised, I nearly fumble it, but manage to keep hold of the ball. Hyuuga moves in front of me to block.

“Hashimoto-san,” a voice says, and I once again nearly drop the ball before realizing it’s Kuroko behind Hyuuga. 

He holds up a hand. I nod, and send the ball past Hyuuga, who is too slow to react.

And then Kuroko disappears.

Kagami is racing up to the net, like he knows what’s about to happen — I think he does — and suddenly, the ball is flying from nowhere, and Kagami dunks it through the hoop once again.

Kuroko appears by my side and I jump. “Nice pass,” he comments, and then he’s gone.

“Yes!” Kagami shouts, marching back to the center line. He holds up a fist to me and after a moment, I return the fist bump.

As the game progresses, I realize why Kagami never seems to be afraid of anything. With people like this behind him, to support him, to always be at his back . . . why would he be scared? 


	8. Chapter 7

“Kagami-kun, Hashimoto-san.”

Like usual, Kuroko appears out of nowhere.

“Oi, Kuroko, stop doing that!” Kagami says, nearly jumping into me.

Kuroko blinks. Then he says, “I have the DVD you requested.”

I glance at Kagami. “DVD?”

“Mm, yeah,” he says. “You said you didn’t like scary things, right? I thought, you know, a haunted house would do or something . . . but it’s not really the season. Kuroko has some scary movies, though, so I asked him to lend me one. That’s kind of ironic, isn’t? You’re scared of things that are supposed to be scary.”

“Isn’t that the point?” Then I turn to Kuroko. “You watch horror?”

He just shrugs.

“A person like you should have nothing to do with ghosts,” Kagami says, shuddering. “But anyway, Izanami, are you free tonight?”

“Uh, yeah . . . sure.”

“Awesome! Let’s meet up at my place.”

* * *

Kagami is vague about tonight, other than the expected horror movie. He gives me the location of his apartment and later that night, I travel over there, taking some rice balls with me. He didn’t say whether or not we’d be eating.

When I ring the doorbell, there’re loud footsteps from inside, before he swings the door open. I blink several times, taking in his appearance. He’s wearing an apron, some stains already smeared over the fabric, and he has a pair of chopsticks in one hand.

“Are you cooking?” I ask dumbly.

“Uh, yeah,” he says, and a flush of heat covers his cheeks. “I thought I’d make us dinner. You . . . do you like _tonkatsu_?”

“Y-yes, of course. I didn’t know you could cook, though.” He opens the door wider for me, stepping aside, and I peer around his apartment. “Do you live by yourself?”

“Well, yeah,” he says, running one hand through his hair. “My parents are back in America. I lived there for a while with them before coming back here.”

Oh, well, that makes sense.

“I’ve gone to America, too,” I say carefully. “For the summers, to visit some family.”

His eyes light up. “Really? That’s awesome! Why didn’t you tell me before?”

I swallow back a laugh and follow him into the kitchen. “It just never came up,” I say.

As he cooks, we talk about our shared experiences in America, the differences in the culture and the language. By the time the food finally gets on the table, I realize I’m having fun. That the atmosphere is calm and relaxing, and that Kagami’s bright and easy-going nature with me has somehow turned my life upside down.

“Wow,” I say, after taking the first bite, “this is delicious.”

“Really?” He looks pleased with himself.

We finish the meal in mostly silence, Kagami too busy eating to talk, but I’m fine with it. Sometimes, the silence is awkward, but with him, it’s not. It’s comfortable, being around him.

After I help him wash the dishes, he says, “So, I don’t know what kind of movie Kuroko picked out for us . . .”

“But it’s probably going to terrify me,” I finish.

“Well,” he says, giving me a sideways look, “I’ll be right here.”

And that makes all the difference.

I almost say it out loud.

* * *

Seating is a problem. 

I glance at the couch, and pick the right side. After turning off the lights and plunging us into darkness, Kagami takes the left. There’s about a foot of space between us that I’m consciously aware of. He seems oblivious to it, though.

He shifts, leaning back into the couch, clearly comfortable, while I fidget, still almost on the edge of my seat.

The beginning credits begin to roll, a dull, throbbing music already playing. I can feel shivers already beginning to form on my arms. The first few minutes start off eerie, quiet, the music pumping slowly like a heartbeat . . . and then it falls silent . . . and —

I scream and Kagami himself jumps.

“W-what was that?” I ask in a hushed voice.

“Dunno,” he says.

“Ghost?” I guess.

“I hope not,” he mutters. “I’m going to kill Kuroko . . .”

The scene switches to bright daylight and for a while, everything seems happy. Then the movie once again turns dark, creatures of the night popping up, but the main culprit . . . hm, if it’s who I think it is, maybe this movie won’t be so scary after all.  

It’s only as I turn my head slightly that I realize Kagami hasn’t moved in several moments. In the shivering light of the TV, he seems to be paler than usual. His eyes are fixated on the screen, but in a glazed way, like he’s not really comprehending what he’s seeing.

“Taiga?” I say.

“H-huh?” He jerks, and turns to face me.

“Are you okay? You look a bit funny.”

“O-oh . . . well, what do you think about that ghost character? He’s pretty — um.” His voice is cracking.

I stare at him. “You’re scared of ghosts, too?”

“Too?” His voice actually squeaks this time. “O-of course not.”

I have to struggle to keep the smile from my face. “Well, I’m like scared of everything, so it’s fine that you’re scared of ghosts.”

“I’m not —”

“I guess that’s why Kuroko gave us a movie focused on ghosts?” I grin. “That would be something that he would do.”

“I’m going to kill him,” he mutters, giving up on trying to deny his fear of ghosts.

I laugh and say, “Well, I suppose it’s actually kind of nice.”

“What do you mean?”

“That you’re sharing this fear with me this time.”

“Oh. I didn’t think of it that way.”

“Now we can both be scared together.” I pause before saying, “And if ghosts really _are_ a weakness, I can help you get over them.”

“Why do I get the feeling that you’re making fun of me?” he grumbles, and I laugh again.

But to my surprise, he shifts and then he’s closed the distance between us.

“W-what are you doing?” I ask, trying to keep calm, despite the fast beating of my heart (that has nothing to do with the latest scene of the movie).

“You shouldn’t watch a scary movie and be a foot away from the other person,” he says. “I mean. Movies . . . it’s something to do together. To bring people closer. Right?”

I think he’s blushing. I can’t really tell, though, since the scene has gotten dark again.

“Okay,” I say. I feel kind of light-headed.

He swings an arm over my shoulders and suddenly, the whole movie kind of seems like a big joke. I choke on a laugh, and he stares down at me. “What is it?”

“Ah, nothing,” I say, and amazed at my own audacity, I lean into him. He breathes out, but doesn’t resist.

Somehow, I think I fall asleep during the movie. But then he’s shaking me awake. It’s still dark in the room, even darker now that the TV has turned itself off.

I say, “W-what?”

“I can’t believe you fell asleep through that,” he mutters.

“I . . . I did?”

“Yeah. My arm was starting to ache.”

My cheeks flare. “Oh. I’m so sorry. I didn’t —”

He laughs. “I’m just kidding. I don’t care.” He runs a hand through his hair. “But seriously, falling asleep through a movie is one thing. But a horror movie?”

“I’m sorry,” I say again. “But . . . how was it?”

“Huh?”

“The movie.”

“I . . . I don’t . . .”

When I reach up and touch his cheeks, which are hot, a grin starts on my face as I realize what happened. “You fell asleep, too?”

He doesn’t bother replying.


	9. Chapter 8

Kagami invites me over to his house again, but this time, the motive is even more vague.

When I arrive, it all becomes clear.

“SURPRISE!”

The members of Seirin pop out from behind Kagami’s furniture, nearly giving me a heart attack, and I suddenly remember, with startling clarity, that I’d told Kagami that my birthday was today.

And he’d remembered. And even planned for it, apparently.

It seems like everyone is here —

“I wanted to make the cake, but Kagami wouldn’t let me,” Riko says.

“For good reason!” Hyuuga says, nearly choking.

“Hashimoto-san, happy birthday!” Izuki says, waving at me.

“Mitobe wishes you happy birthday!” Koganei yells from the corner of the room, his friend nodding at me.

“Happy birthday!” Furihata, Fukuda, and Kawahara chorus at me, along with the new first-years.

“Wait till you see the cake,” Tsuchida says. “Kagami did a great job on it.”

And —

“Hashimoto-san, Kagami-kun is waiting over here. With the cake.”

I jump at Kuroko’s voice. Then peer through all of Seirin to see Kagami towering over them. “You made the cake?” I say, trying to hide the astonishment from my voice.

“It-it’s nothing, really,” he says, even though there is a slight blush on his face as he sets it down on the table and ushers me into a seat.

“Thank you,” I say, feeling honored.

All the members of Seirin are staring at me, and it takes me a moment to realize that this is all for me — this gathering. Maybe a while ago, the attention would’ve frozen me. Scared me. Made me unable to function or respond or express my thanks. But now, probably thanks to Kagami, all I feel is overwhelming gratitude and happiness.

I look down at the cake.

It’s a basketball (what else), but each stroke and dot of the icing is perfect, and the colors all meld together so that it almost looks real. I glance up at Kagami, who’s hovering nearby nervously. “It looks delicious,” I tell him.

Everyone wishes me happy birthday again, and then we dig into the cake. It’s chocolate, my favorite flavor, and tastes amazing.

The rest of the night flashes by quickly. A few presents are handed out. A joke book, a card game, some vitamins, a horror movie.

Kagami doesn’t give me anything, but I’m fine with that. He’s already given me more than enough.

After everyone leaves, the energy and noise receding until it’s just Kagami and me left, I turn to him and say, “Thank you. Thank you so much. I never expected —”

“Well —” He rubs a hand across the back of his head. “It’s just that you’re going to America soon, aren’t you?”

I freeze.

“You said that you go for the summers . . . and summer is almost here.”

“It’s not like I’ll be gone for forever,” I say softly. “I’ll be coming back.”

“Right,” he says, and he sounds frustrated. “I know that.”

“Besides, you have Inter-High coming up. So you’ll be focused on that. I doubt you’ll even think of me.”

“That’s —”

Whatever he was going to say, he stops himself.

I want him to continue.

_That’s not true._

_I will think about you._

_I’ll miss you._

_Izanami, don’t go._

_I remember you._

But he doesn’t say any of those things.


	10. Chapter 9

Like usual, we meet at his house. After a brief meal, he starts moving around the room, clearing a few things from the floor, like his basketball and some sports magazines.

“What are you doing?” I ask him.

“So we don’t trip,” he says, like that’s explanation.

“Huh?”

And then he switches the lights off.

I nearly scream.

But then he is right beside me. His fingers brush my skin before finding my hand, and then he leads me over to the couch.

“That was the first one, right?” he says. “Darkness.”

“It’s childish, isn’t it?” I say. “I suppose . . . all of my fears are.”

As my eyes adjust, I see him shake his head. “They’re irrational, yes, but that doesn’t mean they’re stupid.”

I don’t think he really understands what he just said. Isn’t irrational and stupid sort of synonyms?

“So, is this a sort of therapy?” I say. “Just get me used to the darkness and I won’t be afraid of it anymore?”

He says, “The thing about darkness . . . I don’t think most people are scared of it, actually. I think what they’re really scared of is what it represents. The absence of light. So . . . to counteract this, perhaps you just need to think of something in your life, something that can take over the darkness. The dreams that light a fire inside of you. The people who love and support you. The things in life that give you passion and hope and the daring to take risks.”

“You’re saying that to defeat darkness, you only need light?”

“It sounds really stupid when you say it like that,” he grumbles.

“No, no,” I say. “It’s actually . . . you can actually say some smart things sometimes.”

“Why does everybody say that about me?” he complains.

I sink back into the couch’s cushions, letting the darkness surround me — but trying not to be overwhelmed by it. Kagami is right. The corners of the night, the shadows that creep upon you . . . I am only scared of what hides in them. What _can_ hide in them.

Think of a light, he said.

What better light to think of than Kagami Taiga himself? In every way, he seems to shine, putting his all into everything. He draws people in from all sides and basks in the attention. He is warm, gentle, caring . . . daring, rebellious, and amazing.

I wonder, would he consent to being my light?

I close my eyes, letting the darkness consume me completely. I can feel his breathing beside me; it’s steady and even, calming in its surety.

“I think I got this,” I say. With him beside me, the darkness doesn’t seem that frightening at all.

He leans slightly closer, his shoulder pressing into mine. “Good,” he says. Just that one word, but it seems to mean all the world to me.

* * *

“There are two parts to this fear?” I ask.

“Yeah,” he says.

We’ve left his apartment and are walking out into the night. Hands tucked in his pockets, he walks at a brisk pace, and I struggle to keep up with his longer strides.

“Where are we going?” I ask for the third time. He doesn’t answer, so it must be some sort of surprise.

Eventually, we reach an empty park. Trees outline a small square, the green grass brushed to a smooth perfection. There are a few benches at the edges, but Kagami ignores them and walks right to the center of the park.

He motions down to the ground, where a single blanket has been lain out, and sits down, clearly meaning for me to join him. After a moment’s hesitation, I position myself a few inches from him. Just around this area, there are no streetlamps, so it’s only the moonlight lighting up the park.

“Look up,” he says.

“Huh?”

But I do as he says.

The stars are everywhere.

I’ve never really stared at the stars that much, too scared to go out at night, but now I wonder why I never have. They glitter against a velvet black backdrop, small dewdrops of diamonds, little bits of energy.

“Amazing,” I breathe out.

Kagami nods beside me. “Yeah,” he agrees. “The stars . . . they’re kinda like lights, too, you know? And they can only be seen when it gets dark.”

“I get it. I think I’ve heard that before, but I’ve never really understood it till now.” I lean back onto the blanket, putting my hands behind my head. “They’re so bright. When you view the darkness like this, it’s impossible to ever imagine being scared of it.” I smile and reach a hand up to trace a constellation I see.

I can feel his gaze on me, so I turn to look at him, my hand dropping to the ground. His eyes bore straight into me and I find my pulse speeding up, my body suddenly still in a way that I can’t seem to understand.

“Izanami,” he says. He licks his lips. “Ah . . . never mind.” He lies down, too, but farther down on the blanket than I am. If I wanted to, I could just reach out and touch the top of his head, run my hand through his hair.

I really want to.

My fingers twitch with the desire. But my mind is hesitating, keeping my hands anchored by my sides. Yet . . . I chide my foolish thoughts, and decide that I should go with my heart, with my instincts. Like Kagami does . . . take a risk, a chance. Do what matters.

My fingers brush against the top of his head, and at first, I don’t think he notices. But then they comb deeper, and his head twists slightly at the touch.

“I thought it would be all spiky,” I whisper, unable to stop myself now that my hands seem to be moving on their own will. “But it’s actually kind of soft, yeah?”

For several moments, he doesn’t move. Something is clenching and unclenching in my stomach, making me cold and hot, and sending all sorts of contradictions through my mind.

Finally, he shifts. With a small gasp, I draw back my hand. He lets out a growl and says, “I didn’t mean that.”

“W-what?” My heart is pounding hard.  

He sits up and I rise, too. His gaze is intense on mine. “I mean, you don’t have to stop,” he says. In the moonlight, his cheeks appear slightly red.

My own heat up. But I find my body nearing his. He breathes in, breathes out. My hands reach up, seemingly of their own accord, and I tousle his hair again. He closes his eyes and I smile, unable to help myself. I get the feeling that I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time, but just haven’t known it. My hands lower, going around his neck, and I lean into him. His own arms wrap around me, bringing me closer.


	11. Chapter 10

I don’t see much of Kagami after that. He is busy with Inter-High and I don’t want to disturb the team’s practice time.

My time left before I leave for America for the summer is dwindling. I count down the days with something akin to dread in my stomach. Two weeks left. A week. Five days. Four. Three.

Two more days.

Just when I’d about lost hope that I’d get to see Kagami again before I left, he calls me and asks to meet up. I eagerly agree and we decide to meet at one of the outdoor basketball courts.

When I reach the place, he is already there, ball in hand, dribbling around the court. For several moments, he doesn’t notice me.

“Taiga,” I say softly. Somehow, he hears me, and the sound of the ball ceases.

“Izanami.”

I hold my hands out and he tosses the ball to me. I dart past him before he can get his defense up, but before I can even get near the basket, he’s already by my side. He steals the ball from me and dashes to the other side, with me hot on his heels.

We battle back and forth, scoring points every now and then. He is still better than me, with his strength and speed and determination. But sometimes I can surprise him.

“It’s just like the beginning,” I say, laughing, as we both finally collapse onto the ground, weariness taking over. “Well . . . maybe not quite.”

He frowns at me. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I stunk at basketball the first time you met me.”

“I thought you did quite well.”

My heart sinks a bit. He really doesn’t remember.

“Taiga,” I start slowly. “When I mean is . . . when I walked into the gym at school, that wasn’t the first time we met.”

“Huh?”

“We’ve met before. Back in America. You taught me basketball.”

His eyes widen fractionally. He grips the ball hard.

“Your ball went astray,” I say, my voice almost desperate, my words rushed to get out, “and it almost hit me. Then you asked me to play basketball with you, but I didn’t know anything about the sport, so you taught me. And after that . . . I never thought I’d see you again. Or get to play with you again. But I was surprised, that first day at Seirin. And grateful. That it was you.”

“Izanami,” he says.

The sound of my name stops me short.

“I — I don’t know if I remember you. Maybe — there might be something. But that’s not the point. The point is . . . I know you now. And that’s all that matters, isn’t it?”

I breathe out. “Yes. You’re right.”

Just then, it starts to rain. Fat droplets pour down from the sky, slowly at first, and then faster. Tucking his ball under his arm, Kagami moves toward me and says, “C’mon, we better get back. You’re leaving soon, aren’t you? You don’t want to be sick for your trip.”

There’s a distant quality to his voice. I don’t want to decipher it.

Neither of us thought to bring an umbrella, but Kagami lends me his jacket after a short argument (I told him he should keep it; he said I needed it more). Still, we’re both properly soaked by the time we get to my house. But that’s the least of my worries.  

We stop outside my apartment complex, the overhead shielding us briefly from the rain. “You’ve been doing really well in the Inter-High, right?” I say.

“Well, yes,” he says. “We’ve made it passed the preliminaries. We’ve got a month of extra practice before we face everyone else who made it past their own prelims.”

I bite my lip. “Oh. I see. I wish I could go see your games.”

“It’s fine,” he says. “I mean, you’ll be there for Winter Cup, right?”

I nod. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

He smiles, a heartbreaking grin. Then, “Well, I suppose this is the last time I’ll see you for a while . . . so, good-bye. Izanami.”

I nod, more to myself than to him. I can’t find it in me to reply — if I speak, I have no idea what I’d say. For a moment, neither of us move. Then, he straightens and begins to turn — yet at the last moment, he angles his body back to mine. I open my mouth, about to ask him what’s wrong, but then he dips down toward me. His lips press against my cheek. And I find that I suddenly can’t speak at all.

I’m stunned into silence. Then he’s moving away, smiling a bit, and saying, “Yeah. See you later, Izanami. Have a good trip.”

He lifts the basketball in his hand, like some sort of salute, and then his back is moving into the rain, about to be taken over by the fog and the mist and —

A strange form of adrenaline rushes through me, and I race forward. “Wait! Taiga.” The rain drenches me again in seconds.

He turns back to me, a questioning look on his face. His eyes widen slightly and he moves forward, his height towering over me.

“No,” I say, feeling slightly breathless.

“No?” He frowns, appearing confused and almost hurt.

Still feeling slightly crazed, that rush running through me, I grab his shirt, instinct driving me, and pull him closer to me. The basketball falls from his hand and the rain seems even heavier on us.

“I mean . . . ‘No, don’t just leave it at that.’”

“Wha—”

And then, before he can finish, my fingers still clutching his now-soaked shirt, his eyes wide and staring at me, I pull him down to me for a kiss — a real one.

I think he has to crouch to minimize the height difference between us. And his lips are wet. Raindrops are falling onto our cheeks and slipping between our lips as they move together. His lips slide against mine, and even in the cold, they feel so warm and soft against my own that I almost feel like melting right then and there. I wish I could just stay in this moment.

He lips move away from mine suddenly and he gasps. His eyes are huge as he stares at me. “I-Izanami . . .”

“Please don’t leave me,” I say. “Come with me. Come with me. To America. I know it won’t be for long, and I know you’ll have to come back for Inter-High. But maybe — you have a teacher there, right? That you can play basketball with? And I promise, I’ll practice with you every day if that’s what you want. I’ll talk to my parents, too. I’ll see if I can come home early so I can come to your games. But don’t just —”

He knocks his forehead against my own, effectively silencing me. There’s a little grin on his face. “You think too much,” he says. “Of course I’ll go to America with you. Why didn’t you ask sooner?”

For a moment, I feel like all the breath’s been knocked out of me. But then I realize, it’s just because I’m so happy — like I’ve been gifted with something wonderful. Something amazing. He has given me the greatest gift of all. Himself.

I suddenly feel dizzy, but he supports me, bringing me back to the apartment overhead, under the rain.

He says, “Izanami, are you scared?”

“Of what?”

“Of this.” He motions down at himself, then at me. At the two of us.

“Of love?” I clarify.

He nods.

I look at him. I take everything about him in. The way he effects me, with his bright hair and his steady gaze, his shining smile and his contagious laugh, the confident way he holds himself and the eagerness with which he faces each and every new opportunity.

“No,” I say. “No, I’m not scared at all.”


	12. BONUS SCENE

“Hashimoto-san.”

I jump at the sound of my name and turn to find Kuroko staring at me, his eyes large and curious.

“What is it, Kuroko-kun?” I ask. Inside the gym, I can hear the other players already practicing.

“Is Kagami-kun here yet?”

“Eh . . . no. He said he forgot something and had to run back to class.”

“I see.”

Just then, a bark sounds from behind me and I jump once again. Kuroko bends down and a small dog leaps into his arms. Black and white, it’s cute, I suppose. And its eyes . . .

“Nigou!” Kagami’s voice behind me surprises me.

“Nigou?” I say, wrinkling my brow.

“Because of his eyes,” Kagami explains, sidling up to my side, and eyeing the dog carefully. “They’re just like Kuroko’s.”

“Oh. I see it now.”

“Would you like to hold him, Hashimoto-san?” Kuroko holds out the dog.  

I take a step back. “Ehh, no, thanks.”

Kagami and Kuroko both stare at me.

“Why not?” Kagami asks. “You don’t like dogs?” There’s an odd tone in his voice.

“It’s not that I dislike them,” I say slowly, “but I’m allergic to them. So I can’t be around them at all.”

Kuroko seems to be a bit put down, but Kagami, on the other hand, looks absolutely . . . delighted?

“Izanami!” he says. And then he picks me up, swings me around, and kisses me.

“Kagami-kun, please,” Kuroko says, clearly unhappy with the PDA.

I feel slightly breathless from the kiss. “T-Taiga,” I say. “Do you not like Nigou?”

“Kagami-kun is as afraid of dogs as he is of ghosts,” Kuroko informs me.

“I — I am not!” Kagami says, but his cheeks are red.

I laugh, and wrap my hand around Kagami’s, pulling him into the gym with me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I was writing this story, I realized I forgot a certain character and Kagami's aversion to said character. So, here's a short scene that takes place after the story and some time into Kagami and Izanami's relationship. Thank you for reading this story and I hope you enjoyed it!  
> ~ J. Dominique


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